Six French nationals detained in Chad on suspicion of trying to illegally fly 103 children to Europe have started a hunger strike complaining their case is being neglected.
The six members of French charity Zoe's Ark were arrested in Chad on 25 October as they tried to fly the children, aged 1-10, out of the central African country.
It is understood that they have been on hunger strike since last night and they are refusing food but are drinking water.
They began the protest because they felt that no one was listening to their case, that they had been abandoned by the French government and that a Chadian official involved in the case had not been arrested.
The trial of the six is expected to be held in Chad in the coming weeks. They face charges of fraud and abduction and could be sentenced to forced labour terms if convicted.
Zoe's Ark had said it wanted to fly orphans from Sudan's war-torn Darfur region to Europe for fostering by families but UN officials who questioned the children said most were not orphans and came from villages on the Chad-Sudan border.
France has strongly condemned the Zoe's Ark operation but the case has strained relations with its former colony ahead of the planned deployment of a European Union peacekeeping force in the restive east, due in the coming weeks.
